Ranking Arkansas' sports for 2017-18 season
The short quiet period between the conclusion of the college baseball season and the start of “talking season” ends Monday, with SEC Media Days set to begin in Atlanta. In our eyes, that also marks the beginning of the 2018-19 season of athletics.
With that in mind, HawgBeat decided to take a look back at 2017-18 rank the Razorbacks’ programs based on the success of their seasons.
Arkansas technically competes in 19 NCAA Division I sports, but we are grouping the cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field teams together as one men’s and one women’s program. The decision is based on the fact that the same man coaches all three men’s teams and another man coaches all three women’s teams, with most athletes competing in two – or all three, in the distance runners’ case – of the seasons.
So here is our ranking, 15 through 1, of the programs for the past year:
15. Women’s Tennis
Just looking at the women’s tennis team’s final 16-16 record is deceiving. Going into the regular-season finale, the Razorbacks were 6-15. They knocked off Tennessee on the road and stayed in Knoxville, Tenn., for the SEC Tournament, making a surprise run to the semifinals. At that point, Arkansas was still just 10-16. That run might have been enough to avoid last place on this list, but the Razorbacks didn’t stop there.
Because teams have to have a .500 or better record to be considered for the NCAA Tournament, they scheduled six matches with Tennessee State to be played consecutively in Nashville two days later in an effort to reach that mark. They did so – sweeping the first five before escaping with a 4-3 victory in the sixth match – but they were still one of three SEC teams left out of the NCAA Tournament. About a week later, new athletics director Hunter Yuracheck fired head coach Michael Hegarty, ending his 15-year tenure at Arkansas.
14. Football
The Razorbacks were dreadful on the gridiron in 2017 and there are plenty of statistics to back up that statement. In fact, one could make an argument that it was one of the worst in school history, despite Arkansas managing a 4-8 overall record that included a 1-7 mark in SEC play. The defense allowed 36.2 points per game, the most in UA history, and 438.2 yards per game, the most in recorded UA history (which dates back to 1947). Four of Arkansas’ losses were by at least 23 points.
If it wasn’t for a 24-point comeback victory – the largest in school history – over Ole Miss, the Razorbacks would have gone winless in SEC play for just the second time ever. They needed another comeback the following week to avoid an embarrassing loss to Coastal Carolina. Had either of those games gone the other way, the football team might have landed in last place on this list. Regardless, it was enough for Arkansas to fire head coach Bret Bielema a few minutes after a loss to Missouri in the season finale.
13. Men’s Tennis
The men’s tennis team was bad, finishing ninth in a 13-team conference with a 13-14 overall record and 4-8 mark in the SEC, but not spectacularly or embarrassingly bad like the previous two programs. It also had a bright spot in senior Jose Salazar, who earned first-team All-SEC honors. He received an at large bid to the NCAA Singles Tennis Championships and reached the Round of 16 to earn All-America honors as well.
12. Women’s Basketball
Mike Neighbors has an uphill battle ahead of him, as evidenced by the team’s 13-18 record in his first season back home. The Razorbacks won only three conference games in the ultra-tough SEC and were blown out in several games, but did nearly upset No. 11 Tennessee at Bud Walton Arena late in the season. They also beat Vanderbilt in the first round of the SEC Tournament.
11. Swimming and Diving
Although the team as a whole struggled to a 10th-place finish out of 12 teams at the SEC Championships, the year was highlighted by an incredible season from Brooke Schultz. Competing for her father, diving coach Dale Schultz, the freshman diver captured SEC titles in the one-meter springboard and three-meter dive and also won a national title at three meters.
10. Volleyball
Led by honorable mention All-American senior Pilar Victoria, the Razorbacks went 19-11 in head coach Jason Watson’s second season at the helm. That is a 10-win improvement from the previous year, plus Arkansas managed a 9-9 record in SEC play, which was a two-win improvement. However, it was still good for only sixth place in a mediocre volleyball conference.
9. Soccer
Colby Hale had the Razorbacks back in the postseason, but 2017 was a step back from the previous year. After knocking off a pair of top-five teams and reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2016, Arkansas struggled to a .500 mark and eighth place finish in the SEC during the regular season.
Entering the SEC Tournament on the bubble, the Razorbacks beat Ole Miss, top-seed South Carolina and Vanderbilt to reach their second consecutive final. It looked like they might force overtime with a late equalizer by Parker Goins, but Texas A&M responded with the game-winning goal in the 88th minute. Following the runner-up finish, Arkansas lost to North Carolina State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
8. Men’s Basketball
With six seniors on the roster – headlined by Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon – expectations within the state were pretty high for this year’s men’s basketball team. However, it was picked sixth in the preseason media poll and wasn’t included in any preseason top-25 rankings. The Razorbacks played well throughout the year, cracking the top 25 once and receiving votes almost the entire season, and finished in a tie for fourth in a much-improved SEC with a 10-8 conference record.
They reached the SEC Tournament semifinals and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four years as a No. 7 seed, but were blown out by No. 10 seed Butler in the first round. That ended Arkansas’ season with a 23-12 mark.
7. Men’s Golf
Ranked in the top 25 throughout the season, the men’s golf team reached the match play portion of the SEC Championships – which includes the top eight teams from stroke play – but fell to Auburn in the first match. The Razorbacks were selected to participate in the Norman Regional and were sitting on the wrong side of the cut line late in the final round. However, a furious rally down the stretch propelled Arkansas into the NCAA Championships. It failed to reach match play, though, finishing 12th out of 30 teams.
6. Gymnastics
Don’t let the 2-5 SEC record and fifth-place finish – out of eight teams – at the SEC Championships fool you; Arkansas’ gymnastics team was one of the best in the country this year. The Razorbacks spent a good chunk of the season ranked in the top 10 nationally. They were sent to the Columbus Regional and finished second, securing a spot in the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2013. Competing against 11 other teams – including five others from the eight-team SEC – Arkansas finished in 10th place.
5. Softball
It wasn’t too long ago that softball was an easy choice for last on this list, but Courtney Deifel has completely turned the program around. In just her third season as head coach, Arkansas went 42-17 and spent more time in the top-25 polls than ever before. A run to the SEC Tournament semifinals helped the Razorbacks secure the No. 13 national seed and host an NCAA regional for the first time in program history. Led by freshman pitcher Mary Haff, the season of firsts continued with their first appearance in the super regionals, where they were finally eliminated by Oklahoma.
4. Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field
The men’s track and cross country program is the victim of its own success, as legendary coach John McDonnell set the bar so high that reaching it again would be next to impossible. However, Chris Bucknam has managed to maintain steady success across all three sports – cross country, indoor track and outdoor track.
The Razorbacks won the SEC cross country championship last season and finished second and third in the indoor and outdoor meets, respectively. They also finished fifth, tied for 13th and tied for 12th at the national meets. Although that doesn’t include a national championship, which is the standard at Arkansas, it was good enough for a second-place finish for the Program of the Year award.
3. Women’s Golf
Led by a trio of All-Americans, the women’s golf team enjoyed one of its most successful seasons in program history. A top-five team throughout the year, the Razorbacks spent some time at No. 1 in the fall. At the 2018 SEC Championships, Arkansas knocked off South Carolina to win the first conference championship in program history and Maria Fassi finished runner-up in a playoff for the individual title. The Razorbacks followed that up with a dominant showing at the Austin Regional, finishing 11 strokes ahead of second-place Texas.
It fell apart at the NCAA Championships, though, as No. 2 Arkansas struggled to a 10th-place finish and failed to reach match play. Despite the rough finish, it was still a great year, capped by Fassi winning the ANNIKA Award – women’s college golf’s version of the Heisman Trophy.
2. Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field
Much like the men’s program, Arkansas’ women’s cross country and track teams are accustomed to winning championships, both SEC and national. The Razorbacks accomplished part of that this year, capturing conference titles in cross country and indoor track. However, they just missed winning the indoor national title, finishing runner-up to Georgia.
Redshirting star athlete Payton Stumbaugh-Chadwick and battling several other injuries, Lance Harter’s squad struggled during the outdoor season. The Razorbacks tied for sixth at the SEC Championships and tied for 11th at the NCAA Championships. Had they been at full strength, they might have competed for a national title and finished higher than fourth in the Program of the Year standings.
1. Baseball
Fans will probably always remember the 2018 season for what might have been, as the Diamond Hogs were one pop foul and one strike away from winning the first national championship in program history, but that shouldn’t overshadow their incredible year. With a lineup that had pop 1 through 9 and shattered the single-season UA home run record, a great 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation, three stellar relief pitchers and senior leaders (Carson Shaddy and Luke Bonfield) mixed with freshman phenoms (Casey Martin and Heston Kjerstad), Dave Van Horn had his deepest, most complete team of his 16-year tenure in Fayetteville.
There were a few bumps along the way, mostly on the road and against top-10 teams, but the Razorbacks went 48-21 overall and finished in a tie for first in the SEC West with a 18-12 conference record. Included in those numbers is an unbelievable 34-4 mark at Baum Stadium. After reaching the SEC Tournament semifinals, Arkansas received the No. 5 national seed, swept through its regional and then took two of three against South Carolina to reach the College World Series.
In Omaha, the Razorbacks beat Texas, Texas Tech and Florida in consecutive games to make it to the finals for the second time ever and first since 1979. They beat Oregon State in Game 1 of the championship series and were on the brink of winning a national title before a pop foul fell and gave the Beavers new life. We all know what happened next, as Arkansas had to settle for national runner-up.